Monday, March 2, 2015

Drug Testing for Welfare Benefits is Back?

Despite several prior unsuccessful attempts to pass legislation in this regard, the GOP are putting this issue back on the table. The logic behind this bill is that we should not have taxpayers pay for peoples drug habits. While no one can argue with this premise, their logic is flawed. It does not necessarily follow that because someone is testing positive, that they are misusing the state benefits for thier children. And even if they are positive, what happens to thier children. Is the state going to designate a third party to purchase food and other items for the children of otherwise eligible parents. I am not against drug testing, I just dont think its a fix. Instead of drug testing, there should be more restrictions of the method of payment or the items that can be purchased. Sodas, chips, and ice cream are items that are currently available for purchase. Yet you wont see these items restricted due to the deep pockets of the lobbyists for the companies producing these products. This shows legislators true intentions of punishing a social economic class rather than trying to fix the problems with the program.